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15 January 2013

Happy 2013

Welcome to 2013, albeit I am probably a little late in that. Regardless, welcome to the new year and thank you for dropping into my little corner of the internet. The year rolls on with a studio upgrade that is shown below. No, not the bulldog but the wall easel I built behind her. I got the idea from from an Alyssa Monks interview that also showed a couple images of where she makes her great paintings. Her studio walls had 8' lengths of 2"x4"'s attached vertically onto the wall every few feet throughout the length of the wall. On these lengths were round post holes drilled in every foot or so to hold the canvas in place, which can be moved based on the size of the canvas. It all seems very adjustable. Something I like as a painter. Give me options!!!

In my case here the length between the studs in the wall didn't permit the same type of system much to my chagrin, which would have been easier to build. As an old warehouse space the studs were measured every 4 feet. Meaning my wall easel system could only hold a painting larger than 4 feet, based on how the holes would have to be drilled into the vertical lengths. My solution was: Create a series of cross braces, with the same accompanying post holes, to hold all manner of sizes since I don't paint large canvases very often. This way the easel can handle small works like the 18" x 18" in the photos up to 6' x 6' canvases. I can then move the canvas up and down every eight inches to paint large areas more easily. Or, if I am working on an area of detail and need the canvas at a certain height, it's now possible and more comfortable. Is it fool proof? Can it be adjusted to any situation? Probably not, but I have to see what type of problems I run into as I use it. Lastly, there is room for more cross braces further up the wall if I need it to hold a giant canvas.

It is already proving to be very useful. All in all it took maybe $50 for the wood (4) eight foot lengths of 2" x 4", the screws, a 1" drill bit, a 4' length of a 1"round dowel, and 12 L brackets. Not too bad. I had a drill, a circular saw, and the extra wall paint to finish it off.

Ms. Talulah guarding my painting space.

The wall easel in full flow.

Also, A few studies done in gouache. All are 8"x 6", exploring color and its emotional content.

If interested in purchasing one of these contact me at joshua@joshuaflint.com.